The Arrow and the Cross
by Amberwind2001
Summary: DG is constantly told that she's not a very good princess. Ahamo reminds her that she doesn't need to be.


**Author's Note:**Written for the fic prompt 'Cumbersome' for the Tin Man Seasonal Challenge 4. You guys may notice my brain taking some strange jumps with these prompts - in this case, the prompt reminded me of the Seven Mary Three song, and the lyrics gave me the plot such as it is.

As usual, I don't use a beta and I don't own a damned thing. If I did, don't you think I'd be making more money? You get what you pay for...

~o.0.o~

_There is a balance between two worlds_  
><em> One with an arrow and a cross<em>  
><em> - Seven Mary Three<em>

'_Stupid, stupid, STUPID!' _thought DG frantically, her eyes momentarily widening before the demure smile she'd perfected in the first week of etiquette lessons made its way onto her face. The scandalized expressions flitting across the faces of the guests at the afternoon garden party, as well as the enraged flush of the no-name Lordling she had been trying to politely brush off told her that not only had she slipped up again, but that there were far more listening ears than she had anticipated. She didn't even remember exactly what she'd said, leaving her with absolutely no way to clarify or backpedal out of whatever boneheaded Other Side statement she'd offended today's set of interchangeable sycophants with.

_'Screw it.'_

DG stood up abruptly and left, fleeing back to her overly large chambers, sure that within a few hours her infraction against courtly protocol would be all over the castle. By the time someone came to chastise her, she may finally figure out what she did wrong this time.

She was trying. But two years - _annuals_ - on, it was becoming ever more apparent that there was no way she could live up to the expectations the court had for her. She couldn't just leave the palace and hide out the country, either. Her face was too well known, thanks to the witch's wanted posters.

She briefly considered running back to the Other Side, to Kansas or farther, then shook her head in disgust. She'd hated that life enough to want to get out and as far away as possible, a goal she'd achieved more admirably than she had imagined, and it hadn't solved a damned thing. Still, she longed for some slice of familiarity. A place where she understood the rules, even if she didn't follow them very well.

Several hours later, between first and second sunset, her father knocked quietly before letting himself into the room. DG had changed out of the flowing yellow dress she'd been in at tea and back into a comfortable pair of trousers and a t-shirt she'd had the seamstresses make over much objection. "You drew short straw this time?" DG asked dejectedly as she set down the book she'd been reading, turning to face the room but not getting up from the window bench in which she'd taken refuge.

"Actually, I volunteered," replied Ahamo, drawing up a chair and sitting in front of DG.

DG's shoulders slumped. "Mind telling me what I said this time that was bad enough that you wanted to give me the 'you suck as a princess' speech?"

Ahamo's eyes widened. "Who's been telling you that, Spitfire?"

DG waved her hand in the air, vaguely gesturing towards the rest of the palace. "Not told, so much. Heavily implied. 'Sit straight, DG. Royalty does not speak that way, DG. Princesses do not perform maintenance on their own vehicles, DG. Your choice in friends is inappropriate, DG.'"

Ahamo winced at that last one as DG rested her chin on her hand with a glum expression. He'd been among the people pushing at first to distance DG from the friends she had made during the week leading up to the eclipse, only changing his mind once he saw how utterly lost she seemed without the camaraderie they provided, realizing that his dislike was rooted more in a father's unwillingness to lose his little girl rather than any actual disapproval. But while he had relented, many courtiers had not.

Their thinly veiled contempt for Glitch, Cain, and Raw had slowly driven the three men to the very edges of palace life. Glitch, preferring to keep the nickname after his brain was restored, tended to isolate himself in his laboratory, and while he was still one of Lavender's primary advisers he was no longer capable of the rigors of his old position. Raw isolated himself as well, sensitive to the scheming natures of court, but unwilling to leave as most of his family had either disappeared or died under the rule of the Sorceress and he remained unsure of his welcome in the Viewer homelands.

The slights against Wyatt Cain tended to be the most vicious, made more so by his obstinate refusal to be bullied by those who would keep him from the princess's company. Officially, he was liaison to the royal court on behalf of the reinstated Tin Men. Unofficially, he also served as DG's primary adviser and best friend, guiding her through her initial difficulties in understanding the basic differences between the Outer Zone and the Other Side. DG's potential suitors, seeing him as a rival, were very quick to start rumors suggesting that his continuing presence at court could be seen as a blemish on her reputation, considering the amount of time the two spent alone together. They schemed to arrange both his duties and her schedule to keep him away from the palace for extended periods, and away from DG when he was able to return. While DG did not suspect the depths of the courtier's meddling, Cain did, and made his displeasure known. He had been in Rush Margins for the last two weeks, the longest absence forced upon him yet, and was not supposed to return for another. Already there were whisperings of the hell to be paid by whoever had suggested that Rush Margins, a relatively poor and peaceful region, needed a police force similar to Central City and only Wyatt Cain would be able to properly gauge the level of preparation necessary for its creation.

Ahamo pursed his lips and let out an aggravated breath. "DG, look at me."

When she lifted an eyebrow skeptically at him as if to say, _I'm already looking at you_, Ahamo resisted the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation. "No, DG, I mean really _look_ at me. Do I seem like the kind of person who fits in at court?"

DG studied her father for a moment. He had shaved off his sideburns shortly after the eclipse, and now kept his long hair bound into a low ponytail, but other than that and cleaner clothes, his appearance had changed little. He was still dressed in a fairly comfortable and utilitarian manner, and wore the same long coat when outside that he had when dwelling with the Unwanted.

"DG, the only reason you are being made to do anything is because you haven't said no yet," said Ahamo gently. "I've been with your mother for over twenty annuals. I've adjusted to some things, but I also learned early that if you don't put your foot down the court will walk all over you. You've got an amazing amount of authority now, Spitfire. Start throwing your weight around a little."

DG perked up, and father and daughter exchanged a smile.

~o.0.o~

DG was humming, occasionally singing a line or two of the song as she worked, her arms deep inside the engine of a junked car she'd had brought into the palace for her to restore, as Wyatt walked up behind her. After three rather pointless weeks in the rather muddy (and not at all in need of its own squad of Tin Men) Rush Margins, he was glad to be back in the palace.

"I'm Missus Oh-My-God, that girl is shameless. You want a piece of me?" sang DG as he heard a metallic popping sound, just before Wyatt had to dodge a piece of metal she threw over her shoulder.

"Careful, Princess. You might hit someone important doing that."

DG spun around, a wide grin creasing her features. "Wyatt!" she squealed gleefully as she leapt up and threw her grease-stained arms around his neck, "I missed you so much!"

Wyatt wrapped an arm around her midsection, squeezing her tightly before setting her back on her feet with a smile. He nodded his head towards the car behind her, "New project?"

"Yup! Decided I needed something to fill my time now that I've told the Eminent Thropp exactly where she can stick all those afternoon tea parties I was being forced to attend."

Wyatt's eyes widened as he gawped at her. DG giggled slightly. "I'm guessing you didn't speak to anybody except to figure out where I was."

He shook his head in the negative, wearing an expression that clearly said, _You had better explain this_.

"While you were gone, I had another of my etiquette slip-ups. Ahamo came by a few hours later and we did some father-daughter bonding. He reminded me that _I'm_ the princess, not them, and that I've been letting them boss me way too much. I mean, I'll still do the Pretty Pretty Princess thing for important things like balls, but afternoon tea is not my thing."

Wyatt smiled softly and pulled her into another hug, sighing slightly. He finally had _his_ princess back.


End file.
